The Roots Celebrate The NBA’s History With Amazing Performance At All-Star Game

Now, that’s how you start the NBA All-Star Game! The Roots kicked off the Feb. 19 show with a look back at the eras of ‘Greatness’ in the NBA, getting some help from Michael B. Jordan, Darryl ‘DMC’ Daniels and more! Needless to say, the results were amazing!

Before any of the NBA’s biggest and brightest could hit the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, the arena was turned into a visual time machine, as The Roots opened up the show with their original musical, “The Evolution Of Greatness.” Along with former Hamilton actor Daveed Diggs, 35, DJ Jazzy Jeff, 52, Michael B. Jordan, 30, Jidenna, 31, and Darryl McDaniels, 52, (one half of Run DMC) the roots told the history of the NBA, from the 1950s to present day.

“We are a culture that is obsessed with one question, ‘Who’s the greatness?'” Black Thought, 45, said as The Roots took fans through a retrospective of all the different decades of the NBA. Daveed, Michael B, and DMC all came out, representing a different era of “Greatness.” Black Thought listened to each person’s argument as to who was the greatest era in the NBA.

After hearing their cases, Black Thought issued his ruling: “Who really is the greatest? None of you are. True greatness is not comparison, it’s evolution.” And with that, The Roots introduced this year’s “greatness,” the 2017 NBA All Stars!

“I got a call from The Roots, they wanted to do something that wasn’t just only entertaining but educational,” said Darryl “DMC” told For The Win. “In the last 15 years, when you look at entertainment, when you look at sports, it seems the current generation does not know the history of those before the things they’re so excited about.”

With the NBA All-Star Game taking place in New Orleans, a city known for its music history, it was clear that hip-hop would be a big part of the whole weekend. In fact, New Orleans native (and bandleader of The Late Show) Jon Batiste, 30, was selected to perform the American national anthem.

“I think people often think of New Orleans as a musical hub and a capital city in terms of culture and live music, and it’s very true,” he told The Times-Picayune. John was able to share that culture with his boss, Stephen Colbert, 52, especially the famous Frenchmen Street. “I think the flavor is everywhere, but for the live music experience, for actually going to see live music performed, Frenchmen Street is about 50 percent of where it happens in New Orleans.”

John Legend, 38, may be from Ohio, but the Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award winner will prove that music knows no borders when he rocks the Halftime Show. Hopefully, the action on the court is as amazing as the music that’s going to fill the NBA All-Star Game.

What did you think about the Roots’ opening to the NBA All-Star game, HollywoodLifers?